Timing Is Everything
by minty tiger
Summary: For Kally, who will never Impress, Weyrlife is everything. But when a myth from long ago literally comes to life, Kally discovers what - or rather, who - she’s been missing all along.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first venture into Pern! So be critical, but gentle :). Set in the 10th pass, but without the discovery of AIVAS, technological advances etc. If you find any problems don't hesitate to contact me…!**

**Disclaimer: Anne McCaffrey owns Pern and all canon characters. I own the OCs and the plot :)**

Kallia, or 'Kally' as she was commonly called, cut the tubers deftly, though absent-mindedly, as she listened to the bubbly voices of children. During the past few minutes, the Weyrbrats had filed in and gathered in little clusters on the stony floor. Most of the Weyrbrats who lived at Ista were much younger than she was, and had more of a chance of Impressing. She was the daughter of a brownrider and a greenrider, neither of which had time for her, because of the simple fact they were dragonriders. The 10th Pass was only less than a Turn away, and Kally knew that if she hardly saw her parents now, when the Pass finally came she'd see even less of them. But, hardly seeing them wasn't a loss, as she actually scarcely knew them.

So, being a Weyrbrat, Kally had been destined to live out her life at the Weyr until she Impressed. The fact is, she never did. She was 25 Turns old and had attended at least one Hatching every year since she was fourteen. She then went to most Hatchings, but they were out of obligation, and she never got her hopes up of becoming a rider – she just didn't have the leadership and intuitive material that made a good dragonrider, simple as that. As a result, Kally spent her days at the Weyr helping out with petty chores and helping with the new candidates. Marriage was out of the question - she hadn't any great skills or beauty to make her someone important's wife, and she didn't want to live out her days as the wife of a burden-beast herder in the middle of nowhere when she could just stay here!

Kally wiped her hands on her clothes (which, she noted, needed a wash soon) and sat on a stray chair at the back of the room, facing the same way the other children were facing. Unlike them, she waited quietly. It was a rare time when the kitchens were unoccupied – it was mid-morning – when the drudges had cleaned up after breakfast but hadn't begun making lunch yet. There were a few servants around adhering to meal requests from hungry dragonriders, but besides that the kitchen was unusually quiet.

Kally turned her head when the small group of children began to cheer. "Story-man!" they cried with delight, and caused the drudges and Kally to clamp their hands over their ears to avoid permanent damage. But the old man who had entered was half-deaf, and he didn't mind the screaming at all. One of the children ran off and quickly returned with a chair for the old man. He sat down in front of them and folded his arms, a huge grin on his face.

Every sevenday, on a day he would advise, Hargal (or 'Story-man' as the children called him) would carry his weary bones down to the kitchens and tell the little Weyrbrats a tale from long ago – or sometimes, just the other day, as last week proved. Kally, with no peers to talk to and really nothing else to do, liked to join the children and listen to the old man's stories. Kally wondered how he could ever be cheerful again after the loss of his dragon 30 Turns ago. By the looks everyone gave him, she presumed they were wondering that too.

"What would you like to hear today?" Hargal asked the children, slightly leaning down so he could see them better. A few children shouted out suggestions but most of them shrugged. Hargal managed to spot Kally at the back of the room.

"Kallia, is that you all the way back there? Come closer so I can see you! That's better." He sighed. "Well, if none of you young people want to decide upon a tale today, I'll ask Kallia. Kallia, what would you like to hear?"

Kally smiled and looked at the children's expectant expressions. She bit her lip. "Moreta's Ride?" she asked. She laughed as half the children groaned.

"We've heard that one heaps of times!" one of them complained.

Kally put her head in her hand and rested her elbow on her shoulder in a thinking pose. "Well then…how about the tale of Lessa of Pern?"

"Yes!" said Hargal. "The tale of Lessa and how she brought - "

The children started mumbling again. Hargal looked at Kally with a 'help me' look but she shrugged her shoulders. Every other tale she could think of he'd already told them numerous times. The children were restless today and needed a new story.

Hargal suddenly snapped his fingers, and everyone turned to him. "I have a story to tell you."

* * *

_Danorith, I'm so sorry._

_It's…not…your fault._

_It is, and I think…_and he lost his words. It was either because of his rasping, sand-coated throat or foggy, tired mind or the blinding sandstorm. But the cause didn't matter. It was the result that –

He was suddenly fully alert as he began to drop. _Danorith, pull up!_

_I…can't…_

"Danorith!" he rasped out loud. _If only we were anywhere, anytime but now!_

And the pair crashed into the hot sands.

* * *

The children leaned forward in their seats. A new story! Even Kally was excited.

"And this one had been told through my family for generations! It is set in the Sixth Pass – and no, Renel, it was _before_ Moreta's Ride. It is about a quite average dragonrider named M'nel and his bronze dragon. They resided at Ista Weyr, and fought Thread - "

The children exchanged glances. No-one in the room had ever seen Thread, and thought it incredible that in times past, people had seen it all the time.

" – one day when this story begins. Now, M'nel is said to have seen a small fleet of boats that we know as being transferred to the border that is shared by Igen's Thread-fighting area and Benden's. He was not injured, nor as tired as he usually was, so his Wingleader allowed him to stay while the west of the wing went _between _to the Weyr. The fleet was seven boats strong, and the men in the boats enjoyed watching the dragon fly over the boats and feel the sea spray. It was such a pleasant day that what happened was not expected at all. A huge storm came just after M'nel left for the Weyr. At first, the men were not worried. It was nothing they'd never done before.

"But then it started to get worse, more than they could handle. M'nel, now safely back at Ista, heard from his friend (a sweep rider, mind you) that near where the boats were on the border of Ista's ground, a gigantic storm had sprung up. He remarked how lucky it was that they weren't there, and that's when M'nel realised the boats would be in peril. He went out, first going _between_ to where he'd first seen the boats, then following the fastest course along the coast to the boats' supposed destinations.

"After flying in the driving rain for what seemed like forever, he stumbled upon the fleet – now missing two boats. They were apart, and even as he got close one boat was smashed against the rocks and disintegrated. M'nel and his dragon managed to save a few of the drowning men, but most died under the crashing waves.

"M'nel stayed near the boats as they went on, rescuing drowning men from the sinking boats, constantly bespeaking others to let them know where he was. But, as we know, there is a lot of coastline, and it wasn't so distinguishable through the heavy storm. A few dragonriders popped up around the place, but in vain, as they couldn't see far and couldn't figure out where exactly their friend was.

"As more boats were ruined as the storm continued, there were but two boats left of the fleet, one of which contained the leader of the fleet, a man, who had foolishly allowed his pregnant wife to accompany him on what was thought to be a pleasant journey.

"As if by dumb luck, a dragonrider found M'nel, and popped up merely a few dragonlengths away. The rest of the men, by this time, had decided that the profit from the boats was not worth all this, and M'nel helped them onto the other dragonrider's dragon, and they blinked _between_ to the Weyr for treatment.

"The only two who would not go was the man and his wife – the man intent on bringing at least one boat into port (without which, he would not gain enough money to support his Hold) and the woman, who did not want to fly on a dragon and could not go _between_ when she was so heavily pregnant.

"So M'nel stayed with them, not wanting any harm to befall either the man or his wife. His dragon even picked the man up when he was unfortunate enough to fall beneath the waves! M'nel must've thanked Faranth for all she's worth when the storm simply…blew out. They made it to Asander Sea Hold almost dead, but they made it. The man and the woman thanked M'nel for staying with them, and the Hold offered him a place to stay for a while.

"Fearing reprimand from his Wingleader - " and at this Hargal changed his voice " – 'You're much better to everyone fighting Thread than being dead, M'nel' – he decided against staying at the Hold and began to fly home. Ready to wink _between_, M'nel found it took a while for his foggy mind to picture Ista.

"He had been flying for hours, trying to convince himself he could do it, when he realised then he couldn't. His dragon couldn't, either. They bespoke others, like they had done before, but the look of all sand dunes are the same to a confused man. In the Keroon desert, man and dragon simply disappeared."

* * *

He felt awful.

No. He felt worse than awful. He felt…his mind couldn't register other words.

He reached out to his dragon. _Danorith…_he managed.

_Here, I'm right here._ His dragon replied in soothing tones.

He had forgotten where he was, but the sand he was lying on was warm and soothed his aches. He had memories of being cold…then being too warm…but they were both okay, rested. Hungry and thirsty, but rested. His mind was becoming clearer, and everything hurt more. Dozens of thoughts circled in his brain, but one stood out above the rest.

_We're…alive._

* * *

"He couldn't have just…disappeared!" an older boy complained. "There would have been dragonriders searching the area for him, and even if he hadn't survived, they would've found his rotting body, at least!"

A few of the younger ones cringed at the mental image of a decaying corpse in the sand. Hargal gave the boy a glance. "Well, if you'd let me finish…they never actually found him. _He _found _them_.

"Many a sevenday since everyone assumed M'nel had died, and even more since he'd first disappeared, he came back. He strolled into Ista, not a grain of sand on him. M'nel and his dragon looked fresh and healthy…the rest of Ista couldn't believe that he was _alive_."

"So?" asked the same impatient boy. "Where was he all that time?"

"That's the interesting part. Nobody ever found out. When he was questioned about it, he'd draw a blank look and say he didn't know. He said the first thing he remembered after he'd crashed onto the sands was waking up in a cave and then he…flew back.

Hargal shrugged. "Of course, with him going so long without food or water there was no way he could have survived in the baking desert for that long, let alone have not a speck of sand on him, and looking fully refreshed."

"What do you think happened?" asked Kally, intrigued.

The old man looked up at her and smiled in the most curious way – a way that made Kally question how much Hargal _actually_ knew.

"Nobody knows for sure," he said to her with that same grin.

Kally barely noticed when the children began their chatter again (mostly about the story) as they moved on to whatever else they had planned for the day. She knew Hargal had looked at her again, but soon left when the drudges started entering to make lunch for the Weyrfolk.

That night, Kally dreamed of a daring bronzerider braving a fierce storm, intertwined with Hargal's words – _Nobody knows for sure._

**If you've read this far, Thank-you, and please tell me what you think as I'd love to get some feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, I updated really quickly! Don't worry, it won't be this quick all the time, I just had all this in my head. A big thank-you and a virtual hug to everyone that reviewed. I hope you all enjoy chapter two!**

**Disclaimer: Anne McCaffrey owns Pern and all canon characters. I own the OCs and the plot :)**

Kally woke up with a jolt, gasping and clutching her throat.

For the past three nights since Hargal had told the children that story, she had dreamt about it – over and over again. The first night it was relatively short – the dragonrider made it out of the storm as per canon and was hailed when he made it into port. The next dream actually depicted him crashing into the boat out of pure exhaustion, smashing the wood into smithereens and killing the man and his pregnant wife. But tonight, as she dreamed of the dragon falling onto the boat, _she_ was suddenly the dragonrider, desperately trying to control her dragon as they plunged into the merciless sea…

And then she had woken up. Kally climbed out of her modest cot and onto the floor, letting the cool stone floor calm her. Why was this simple children's tale worrying her so much? And why was her mind playing back variations of it?

She was too exhausted to attempt to discover why, and fell back to sleep on the floor.

_Nobody knows for sure…_

* * *

Kally was at home in the Weyr, whatever she was doing. Whether she was helping with the new candidates, assisting the weyrlingmaster, completing kitchen chores or just having spare time – Kally loved every minute of it. The people of Ista were like her family (two of them _were_ her family!) and she felt that all who knew her felt the same way. So it was a complete shock when the Headwoman asked her to leave.

"You want me to leave?" Kally cried out with more anger than she meant, standing up from her chair.

"Now, now, Kally, sit down," said Corina gently. "I'm _not_ asking you to leave."

_Oh._ Kally took her seat again, slightly embarrassed.

Corina leant across the table. "I have no intention of making you leave. You're extremely helpful around here, and you are quite versatile with your abilities."

_If 'abilities', you mean by cleaning dishes, then yes, I'm multitalented!_

"But I'm hoping there could be something…more."

Kally frowned. "What do you mean?"

Corina cleared her throat. "There aren't many who reside here that are completely failed candidates. No offence," she added quickly. "We have, what? Ten, fifteen of the un-Impressed living here? And some of them will still Impress. We're almost in a Pass, and the queens are rising more often than they used to. There will be _many_ more candidates that never Impress, and may wish to take up residence here afterwards. You must understand there's pressure on me to discern which of those will be useful here, and which will just take up space.

"Now I want you to know, _before_ the 'dragon boom', so to speak, that if you want to have a definite chance of staying, you need to have something to…give. I'm sorry if that's too harsh, because I know that you do a lot around here. But most will think that merely a few drudges could take your place." She sighed at the pained expression on Kally's face. "Tiva's your friend, yes?"

"Yes, she is. I haven't talked to her in two days though, she's been very busy."

"Do you remember _why_ she's busy, Kally? She helps out in the infirmaries with injured riders, sores, coughs, stings, she makes medicines…Sure, she's not good enough to become a true healer…"

"As I've told her…"

"…But she _gives_ a lot. Do you understand, Kally?"

Kally mumbled a reply.

"I'm not sure if your position will be jeopardised or not, but I want you to be ready for whatever comes next. For _who_ever comes next…after me, I mean."

Kally saw Corina's point. "I understand."

Corina plastered on a forced smile. "You take care, alright?" That was clearly a dismissal.

Kally nodded and stood up from the chair. As she exited the room, she wondered if the Weyr really needed her at all.

* * *

"_Of course_ we need you. Don't be a wherry," said Tiva straightforwardly.

Kally grinned. That was the thing about Tiva – she would always give her direct opinion, blunt and true. She'd always point out the facts and find the best solution to the problem, which made her a good healer. She had been fostered with Kally all her life at Ista Weyr; she was a Turn older and used that to her advantage when giving her friend advice. Outspoken and leader-like, many were surprised she never Impressed.

Tiva turned to Kally, her bright blue eyes glinting in the sunlight. "People _know _you here. That's something some _newcomer_ could never do. You've got the reputation." Tiva's fire-lizard, a noisy green called Plit, chirped loudly, seeming to agree.

Kally bit into her green citrus fruit, attempting to make sure none of the juice spilled on her clothes. The two friends were sitting near Ista's dragon bathing lake, on a wide, flat rock that was big enough for two to lie down on. They both thoroughly enjoyed basking in Ista's glowing sun; but it was a rare occurrence they did it together because of Tiva's busy schedule. "There're always more herbs to crush," she'd say.

They heard a splash and a cry as a pretty blue dragon ran into the lake with his rider. The rider pulled himself up from the waves that his blue made and began to scrub the dragon's beautiful hide. Plit flew over to have a closer look.

"I'm just worried, Tiv," continued Kally. She sat up. "You're resourceful. Find me something to do."

"Okay…" said Tiva, completely in thought. "Can you play any instruments?"

Kally just stared at Tiva, and the healer laughed. "I guess being a harper is out then…" Then Tiva gasped. "Look at your hair!" she muttered, and motioned for Kally to turn around.

"Do you know anything about treating Threadscore? I've yet to put it into practice but I've got the Theory…" Tiva trailed off as she braided Kally's thick, dark brown hair.

"I'm not like you, Tiv."

"Okay, then…what about looking after burdenbeast?"

Kally sighed and shook her head. "No crafts are right for me."

"Can you catch fish?" asked Tiva. Kally didn't reply.

Tiva sighed in empathy as she finished braiding. "Trust me, you'll find something."

Kally took another bite of the fruit. _I sincerely hope that's true._

* * *

Kally sat up from her uncomfortable position in her bed, accidentally-shed tears drenching her face. She couldn't sleep. Tonight, another dream had come to her, this time much worse…when morning came she'd find Tiva and ask her if she had any herbs for sleeping problems.

After tossing and turning for who knows how long, Kally gave up and lay with her eyes open. She stared at the ridges and faults of the ceiling, trying to figure out what she could possibly contribute to the Weyr. The reason why she was here in the first place was that she didn't have anything special that qualified her to be anywhere else. What could Corina possibly expect her to do? If only...

_Nobody knows for sure..._

Kally went rigid. All of a sudden everything seemed awfully quiet. She had a terrible urge, in her sleep-deprived state, to investigate outside and get away from the heavy silence that descended upon her. It'd never happened to her before, and she was curious to where it would take her. She sat up and brushed her tears away before sneaking out, moving as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake the other three occupants of the room.

It was quite dark inside the caverns, so Kally moved by feeling the walls with her fingertips. She made all the correct turns and found herself at the stairway – a little earlier than she first thought, as she crushed her toes against the first step. She leaned against the curved wall and clutched her foot in agony, staying completely silent. Sound carried in quiet caverns, and she wouldn't want her wandering to be noticed.

An image of herself one foot, holding her other one and with a pained look on her face, flashed into her mind. Kally was wondering what it was when it happened twice more.

A chirp to her left revealed Plit, her eyes whirling mixtures of yellow and green. Kally cursed. "Go back to Tiva!" she hissed. "Go back and sleep!" Plit didn't respond, and kept sending out images of Kally standing on one foot. Kally sighed and gave up. "If you're going to come along, don't chirp…and keep your images to yourself, okay?" Plit flew gaily around Kally's head. Kally sighed yet again and began to walk up the stairs.

When she made it to the top, she continued to make her way to the outside Weyr entrance – the route was well-travelled and Kally only had to follow the widest passageways to get to the exit. She burst out into the cool night air, the moon lighting everything in a blue glow. Plit zoomed out behind her and began flying circles in the sky. _Hyperactive, just like her owner_.

Kally wandered around the sparse trees to the lake, which shimmered and glowed with the moon's beams. It was then she realised she didn't have her boots on, and that her feet were now dirty and scratched. She walked the rest of the way to the lake on tiptoes. The night was cool for Ista and sharpened Kally's senses. She sighed and shut her eyes, feeling the small currents of wind brushing her as they continued on their way. She then sat at the edge of the lake, watching the moonlit ripples of water; revelling in the fact no-one else was here to observe this beautiful night…

It fell completely silent again, just like when she was in her cavern. She gasped and quickly glanced back towards the Weyr. Her fear of reprimand subsided when she saw no dragon on watch. Good – no one had seen her sneak out. Her fear, so quickly extinguished, rose again. _Where is the watchdragon?_

Plit suddenly appeared beside Kally, her eyes whirling yellow in fear. Kally hastily stood up. _It was stupid to come here…I should've stayed in my bed…who knows what lurks around the Weyr at night?_ She suddenly became frightened, and was angry at herself for acting so brave, when she really wasn't. After surveying the area and making sure nothing was skulking in the bushes, she spun around quickly and headed back to the entrance, constantly repeating in her mind _not_ to turn around. Plit followed closely behind, chirping and tittering nervously.

Behind Kally, a small trumpeting noise, followed by a great crash caused her to cry out and trip, a stray branch scratching her face as she fell. Plit flew up to the top of one of the trees and attempted to hide herself in the leafless branches.

Catching herself with her arms before her head hit the ground, Kally quickly turned and pressed her back up against the tree that had scraped her – still gasping in complete terror at the shock.

As the dust settled, she saw the large form of a dragon that dwarfed everything around it. All around the heaped form, trees were broken and scattered where the dragon had crash-landed near the lake. A low moan, clearly human, emanated from somewhere near the bronze hide, and Kally, mind still reeling, crept over to investigate.

No-one in the Weyr, much to Kally's disappointment, stirred, which prompted her to deal with the situation herself. _You brought yourself here, remember?_ She thought, scolding her cowardly nature.

She looked around for Plit, but couldn't see her anywhere. _Plit's got the right idea._ Kally neared the bulk that was the magnificent bronze dragon, but it didn't move. It didn't even appear to be breathing. _Was it…dead?_

_Did you really just think that?_ She chided herself. _If the dragon was dead it'd be _between_, you wherry._

Kally could've smacked her forehead if she weren't trembling. Another groan, and she located the sound to find a man lying against a rock. Kally and Tiva's rock, to be precise. She quickly tip-toed toward him, to save her poor feet, and kneeled down.

"Are you alright?" _Another stupid question,_ Kally thought. _Obviously this man is _not _alright._

The man was slipping in and out of consciousness, and Kally doubted he could understand her at all. Nevertheless, she tried again. "Are you the watchrider?" she asked.

He managed to look up at her and softly shake his head. "Watch…no.....wingsecond," he croaked before closing his eyes again. Kally stood up – she'd wake the healers to help the man…and make sure to explain _later_ what she'd been doing out of the Weyr at night. Try to get out of the explanation, even. But how? She started to sprint for the entrance, ignoring her sore feet.

"Wait!" a hoarse, quiet cry came from behind her. Kally spun around and raced back to the man. "What is it?" she whispered, leaning in closer.

"Please," he managed. "Get....healers. For my dragon!...And - me. Bring......food and…" he glanced over to the lake.

Kally was quick. "Water?" she asked, and he nodded briefly before his head dropped again. Kally was about to sprint off again when he grabbed her arm.

"Save your energy," whispered Kally kindly, taking his hand off. "I'll get everything you asked for, okay?"

"One more…thing. Tell them…tell them I'm back." He managed a smile. "Tell them M'nel's back."


	3. Chapter 3

She was soaring through the sky – not on her own, of course. She was on the back of a magnificent bronze dragon – the biggest and most beautiful bronze on all of Pern. _Shall we descend?_ asked the sweet voice of the dragon. Of _course_ she could hear all dragons. That's why she was going to the Hatching.

She nodded at the dragon's question, and the bronze circled down onto the Hatching Sands. The eggs rocked and cracked as she felt the burning heat sear her heels. Perhaps, this time, she'd Impress…and suddenly the eggs were not eggs, but young people. The magnificent golden dragon was now a tall man, his mouth turned downwards; his eyes beady and grey.

The other children – some older, some younger – glanced at her fearfully. Was there something wrong with her? She looked down – no, she was wearing her purple Healer robe perfectly. Her hair felt in place. She wasn't going to attack them, so why did they stare so fearfully?

Her eyes widened as she realised their looks weren't fearful _of_ her: they were fearful _for_ her.

She spun around to the man with the thin lips and angry grey eyes. "You," he boomed, and the whole room seemed to shake, "have disgraced healers and all we stand for. You are hereby stripped of your colours and your rank." He leaned in, his grey eyes paralysing her. "Now go back to the Weyr where you belong."

She tried to move backwards but she couldn't – he had grabbed her arm and was sinking his fingernails in. "Stop! Stop!" she cried, unable to pull away. The man grinned and sunk his fingernails in deeper and blood poured out of the holes. She sank to the ground, her arm throbbing with pain. "Please, please…" she whispered as she collapsed onto the stony ground.

* * *

Tiva sat up in her cot with a jolt. After a moment she realised it was just a bad dream, and cursed to the eternal blackness of _between _all that sweet jam and bread she'd eaten just before bed. There were no scary men, no frightened students, no bronze dragons and no rocking eggs. However…

Tiva looked at her throbbing arm to see Plit clinging to it, her eyes whirling white. She dug her talons into Tiva's arm deeper, and crooned as if she were frightened. Tiva winced and tried to pry Plit off her arm. The fire-lizard had broken the skin in a few places, and it was starting to sting.

"Plit, you wherry of a fire-lizard," she said softly, coaxing the green off. "I had a bad dream. And for that, I'm sorry. Please – go back to sleep and stop trying to take my arm off."

_Another dream?_ thought Tiva as an image of a bronze dragon popped into her head. Again. Again.

"Plit! I know, that was in my dream. Now please get off my arm!"

The fire-lizard moaned and leaned in closer, flashing images of a bronze dragon and his rider, sprawled in the darkness. Ista lake, glowing with the light of the moon. Kally, her eyes wide with fear.

Kally?

Tiva glanced over to Kally's cot, and found the bed-sheets pushed to the side. _More of Kally's awful dreams…they must be affecting me, too…_

Tiva stumbled out of bed, Plit still clutching Tiva's arm like it was her final meal. Tiva walked (gingerly, as the stone was quite cold despite the heat of the air) toward Kally's bed, having it in her mind to lift her friend off the floor and put her back on her cot where she would be more comfortable.

Tiva gasped. _Kally's not here._

She quickly ceased the hysteria that was building up in her mind and thought the situation out rationally. _Perhaps she went to find somewhere else to sleep. Maybe she's getting some herbs for sleeping issues…_

Plit flashed an image of Kally, her eyes fearful as they looked upon the gigantic hulk of a bronze dragon.

_Or perhaps Kally went for a walk._

"Kally…" she whispered. Plit vaulted off her master's arm and began to fly towards the lake, Tiva following close behind.

* * *

As M'nel wavered between conscious and unconscious, he heard snippets of conversation. How long he was there for, he didn't know. All of his energy was focussed on his bond with Danorith. He felt pain for his dragon as well as himself, doubling the thirst and hunger he suffered. When he could, he'd hear people speaking around him.

"Kally!" a voice called. Kally? Now who was that? One of the kind holders that had begged him to stay? He forgot his thoughts as soon as they happened.

He was pulled back into unconsciousness as it toppled over him like a large, black wave.

Pulled back again by a loud noise, he listened again to the environment around him, not opening his eyes. _Was that a dragon trumpeting? Danorith?_

_It was not me_, Danorith said. M'nel could hardly hear him and felt desperately for more of the dragon's presence in his mind. Danorith…

"_You're_ the watchdragon?" screeched the girl.

"Why weren't you here?" said another, quieter voice. The one he had heard before, just after…just after…

He struggled to hear the reply of a man, clearly the object of both the females' anger.

"Reason…hurt…what…night…dragon…"

He groaned and the arguing stopped. An arm grabbed his shoulder and pulled the right half of his body into a standing position, the other half still limp.

"Kally," said the strong female voice beside him. "We need food and water from the kitchens. You may have to make more trips, because we need to care to the bronze, too."

_Bronze…Danorith…they mean you?_

All M'nel heard in reply was the telepathic equivalent of a sigh.

The harsh tone of the male voice cut in again, this time closer. "Where are you taking him?"

"That's none of your business," hissed the girl who was attempting to hold him up. "Unless you going to help me?" The silence hung over everything, thick and heavy, only broken by the girl's bitter laugh. "Otherwise, we could go to Polisa's and D'teb's Weyr and explain _exactly_ where you were when you were supposed to be on watch."

M'nel heard a sigh and felt his left side being lifted by someone (presumably, the man) as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kally awoke, the warm sun relaxing her tense muscles. She shivered in spite of the morning heat. It was cold for Ista, being Autumn, considering how Kally had only just become accustomed to Summer when it had abruptly ended. She shivered again as she pulled herself off the stone floor.

The angle of the sun seemed wrong somehow – she was lying on the floor, yet the sun shone directly on her face. What…?

Suddenly the events of last night rushed back to her again. _M'nel_…she thought, and looked over to near the back of the cave. A large and dull bronze dragon lay curled up in the very corner of the makeshift weyr – the man she recognised from last night was lying near his dragon, a look of pain etched on his face.

Kally lay back on the slowly warming rock and tried to recall the events of last night clearly and in the right order. Her mind was still buzzing from the confusion of it all…

It had started with a dream – that's right! A frightening dream. About M'nel and Danorith…flying…crashing…dying…

She'd gone for a walk. Plit! That fanciful green fire-lizard was with her too. The one that belonged to Tiva. Tiva…

Kally glanced to the other side of the weyr and found her friend, slumped up against the rock, her head drooped in sleep. Plit was on her lap, tail wrapped around one of Tiva's wrists.

So…Kally had gone for a walk and found M'nel. Tiva…how did Tiva get there? She racked her brain. Had she followed Kally out?

No, she would've called out to her.

Did Plit warn Tiva? Perhaps. If so, she didn't give Plit enough credit. Tiva basically saved her life last night.

She hadn't known what to do – that much she remembered. M'nel was from the sixth pass. He couldn't know of this world, and this world couldn't know about him, for the information he could share in _his _time about the tenth pass would impact severely on his future.

_Our time_. Imagine if that happened! She'd been told the tale of Lessa's Ride more than she could count. Every dragonrider knew that going _between_ times had to be done very cautiously, and any meddling around in another time could cause dire consequences for another. _That_ much she knew.

_Which is why,_ she recalled, _it took quick-thinking Tiva so long to realise that. The reason why it took me so long to explain._

And if she hadn't? Tiva would have woken the healers, the whole Weyr would have known about M'nel, and he would have gone back to his time when he was well enough…told them tales about the tenth pass…and the world would have been changed forever.

_How could you know that? _She argued with herself. _They certainly could have done more for him than you three have done. A young brownrider, an inexperienced healer and a weyr-bred failure? What did you expect to achieve?_

_It was a risk I couldn't take. _She convinced herself that the less people who were involved, the better. Even if that meant dealing with the situation herself. Not that she would have done anything if Tiva hadn't arrived, if that watchrider who had been shirking his duties hadn't returned…

The caves were her idea, though. Outside of the Weyrbowl, there were a small collection of caves – the smallest ones too small for even a child to enter, the largest big enough to accommodate a queen dragon. A few Turns back some dragonriders had attempted to live there. Shortly after, they were found to be too far away from the goings-on of the Weyr, and were abandoned. The small group of caves, about ten or fifteen in all, had been empty ever since. It was the perfect place to store a recovering bronze and his rider. It seemed to take forever to move the man to a suitable cave, and to get him to coax his bronze there too.

Tiva, just before she had collapsed from exhaustion herself, had deduced they were both suffering from dehydration and were hungry – and all they needed was rest. _Hopefully they'll be back in the sixth pass before the end of today._ Her mental tone was harsh, but Kally knew that it was for the best.

Her head snapped to the corner of the small weyr as the man stirred.

* * *

M'nel was sore almost everywhere. The places where he _wasn't_ sore, his dragon was sore, and that added up to a whole sharding lot of pain. He reached out for the awareness of his dragon – Danorith was oblivious and deep in sleep. _Good_, M'nel thought, as he opened his eyes.

He pulled himself up slightly, wincing as he did, and propped himself up (gently) against his dragon's dull hide. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes against the pain, and when he opened them a cup of _klah_ was thrust into his face. He pushed his mouth against it, and slightly recoiled at the cold beverage. Then, as if the small sip had reawakened his thirst, he gulped the rest down.

"Thank-you," he croaked, his scratchy voice unfamiliar to him. His vision became less blurry and he saw the girl who had given him the drink.

She had a kind face framed by wavy dark brown hair. Her face was dirty and her hair was decorated with leaves and twigs – probably gained from last night. She wasn't a beauty, but her slightly wide face and separated features gave her a caring look that let M'nel know that he was in safe hands. She was in her mid-twenties, perhaps. Was she the kind-voiced girl who had first found him?

"I'm sorry it's so cold," she said quietly. She grinned uncertainly, whispering, "I didn't know when you'd wake up." When he didn't respond, she looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm very pleased to meet you, M'nel." She cleared her throat. "I'll wake Tiva…"

Tiva. The loud, commanding girl? The one that had helped to carry his limp body to the infirmary? The only other person in the cave must be her.

"Don't wake her."

The girl turned back around. "You need help - "

"And she needs to sleep," he cut her off. "Don't worry, I'll be fine for the next few minutes." He put on a brave smile.

"I remember," he said, taking a moment to swallow, the saliva sliding down his raw throat painfully, "you were the one who found me…thank you. What's your name?"

"Kally," she whispered, her face glowing in the early morning light. "And you're quite welcome."

* * *

"So where did you find it?" B'tij asked the other dragonrider.

"A place," he replied vaguely in a voice that chilled B'tij to the bone.

"You say there are others?"

The dragonrider grinned darkly. "There are numerous riders of Pern who share my views." He pushed his hair back off his gleaming grey eyes. "Do you wish to be one of them?"

"I…I'd have to…"

The other dragonrider frowned and narrowed his eyes. "This is a commitment to be held to the _end_, greenrider. Accept only if you're certain."

B'tij considered, then decided, a confident expression on his face. "Of course I will follow you."

"Just be there on time and don't speak to others of this meeting," his tone was dismissive but his eyes burned with fury. B'tij called on all of his self-restraint to keep from bolting.

"I understand," he said, and slowly retreated from the room.

The other dragonrider sat down in his chair, hearing the undesirable sound of wood scraping on stone. Half of the riders that wished to participate were not leadership material. He chuckled. _But they will be…dismissed…when the plan proves successful._

He leaned back, revelling darkly at the thought of his entire plan, provided by the ancient hide that told secrets kept for hundreds of Turns. First it had failed. But this time…

_They won't even see it coming._

A/N: I'm sorry for such a long time between updates! I found this chapter particularly difficult to write, and it changes perspective a lot for effect. Is it too boring? I needed to do this to create padding in the story, but I promise the next one will be far more exciting! I'd love you to review and tell me what you think! Enjoy!


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